Been waiting for these, and unlike their last cast iron cookware these aren't enameled which I don't like as they stain.
I love thrifty German supermarketeers.
What do you mean, after you bake it you grill it some more? Curious as I make quiche.
@thedude23: He either means he browns just the top after the entire thing has been cooked in the oven, or, that he reheats it later under the grill still in the pan.
Any good for roasting potatoes or other vegetables or cooking stuff on the stove?
Yes, the only thing they are good for is really acidic food like tomato.
They can also be used to brown on stovetop, then placed in oven.
The grill is great for making a giant waffle!
Every time a cast iron pan hits OB everyone raves about them, so my question what are the advantages of cooking with this pan and is it for general use? Watched the seasoning video above and seems like a lot of work for a cooking apparatus but I at this price will consider getting one to check the hype.
Cast iron pans are the new Voss water!
I mainly use my cast iron to cook a steak. They retain heat very well which ensure an even cook steak on both side. The handle is also made out of iron so you can put it in the over for finishing. A well season cast iron is a better nonstick pan than anything i know. Also leaking iron into your food is a lot better than teflon.
Also a cast iron pan last literally forever. I got a hand me down that is with the family for 50 years now.
Its the Valyrian steel sword/dagger of our times.
Cast iron cooks well to the most part. Depends what you're cooking though. Steak, hamburgers, anything grilled generally cooks better in cast iron as oppose to a standard non-stick pan. Cast iron also lasts a lot longer than any other pan. Even the top pans won't give you the kind of life you get from a cast iron pan. One of my cast iron pans is over 100 years old and it's awesome.
Don't believe the myth about non-stick though. When they're well seasoned then they are pretty non-stick but nowhere near as non-stick as you get with a real non-stick pan. This is easy to test too. Get the most well seasoned cast iron pan then cook an egg in it without adding any more oil. It's going to stick.
But every kitchen should have at least one cast iron pan. The difference for steaks alone (over a non-stick pan) is phenomenal.
Don't believe the myth about non-stick though. When they're well seasoned
then they are pretty non-stick but nowhere near as non-stick as you get
with a real non-stick pan.
While technically you're correct, it takes burning-on food to make it "stick" (when CORRECTLY seasoned). Even then, leaving the frypan in a little water while you eat is enough to make cleaning it a simple 3 second wipe out. My cast iron frypan has a machined cooking surface and is so seasoned it's like cooking on greased glass.
In other words, it can work just like non-stick, but you have to know HOW by trial and error. e.g. I can cook a thawed chicken breast using a stainless lid on top from a large saucepan - and the outside gets a nice copper colour, but the lid keeps steam in so it's soft and moist all the way through. Or I can turn the heat up, still use the lid, and cook so the fat on pork chops is nice and edible like when done on a BBQ. Fresh chicken breast doesn't have as much water as frozen, so I put in a couple of tablespoons of water, etc.
guys, I bought an enamel cast iron grill pan from Aldi a few months back….haven't used it yet.
What are the issues with enamel, apart from staining? Should I be getting a regular cast iron version instead?
The enamel is more noob friendly. As it is enameled, you don't have to season it with oil thus easier to clean and maintain. You can also cook more acidic food on enamel surface.
The downside to enameled cast iron is that they can not resist high temperature. Each pan you buy should have a temperature rating, if you heat it up to much, the enamel might crack and chip away.
Also a well season cast iron is much better than an enamel pan for nonstick purpose.
Enamel is good for baking and oven use, regular cast iron is great for thing like searing a steak that require high heat.
Well my Aldi grill pan has enamel everywhere except on the cooking surface, which is cast iron.
Thanks for the comment.
Perhaps I'll try heating this thing up and seeing what happens.
Really tempted to get one. But afraid I might get hit over the head with it by the mrs if I bring any more cast iron pans home.
What are you complaining about, I normally have to pay at least $80 for women to hit me?
At Aldi you will only have to pay $12.99
As someone wise once said
I love thrifty German supermarketeers
Your wife can lift one of these pans? I'm impressed.
pre-seasoned with oil? What oil?
canola, ricebran, coconut.
Probably vegetable or whatever the cheapest food grade oil they have.
Oh mama, I have got to get me one of these!
Frypan or grill for steaks? Thanks all.
Grill.
keen to get the grill mostly for steaks but not sure if it's as versatile as the frypan? seems like a lot of work to maintain the frypan if it's to cook simple dishes everyday. grill or frypan?
So with the Grill pan since dishwashing liquid is not recommended, how do you typically clean after frying steaks? Do you add (hot) water, leave it to soak, go eat, then use a brush to clean afterwards? I like the idea of searing char lines but am concerned about keeping the 'grooves' clean without damaging the seasoned layers.
Dishwashing liquid is fine.
Use salt and a few drop of water, scrub gently with a soft sponge then rinse off and dry off.
I have 2 pans I use regularly, a stainless steel pan and a cast iron pan.
I use the cast iron pan for grilling meat. lamb, steak and chicken,
I read an atricle recently that cooking food with acid (e.g. tomato sauce) in it causes the iron to leech into the food, giving it a metallic taste, hence the need to enamel coating for such dishes.
After cooking, I wash it with warm water and a brush scrub, then put it back on the heat to dry. I never use detergent.
I would think that leaving from roommates etc wouldn't really be noticeable in the short time you generally cook for using a pan. A big cast iron pot that you use for slow cooking for many hours might be different.
yes, when it is used to cook saucy things for a long time. However I have one with enamel for my slow cooking so I have not experience this myself.
Any recommendations for what material is best for wok cooking on an electric hotplate … non-stick, steel (stainless or carbon), other …?
Wok cooking (stir frying) needs high heat, you won't be able to do that with non-stick, better off with carbon.
Although with electric you can really go all that high, so not sure how well you can it will go if stir frying.
Thank you Scab. Yes, I realise electric is not ideal when stir frying - unfortunately do not have a gas cooktop though.
Get an induction cooker. It could do stir frying far better than electric hotplate.
Silly question, but does anyone know if these will work with induction cookers? I presume so as Iron is magnetic?
Yes, it says "Suitable for all heat sources".
Cheers guy
Yes, induction will work but the initial heating up is slow.
I love my Lodge cast iron skillet. A bit more expensive but excellent quality.
Don't drop it
Is there any coating at all on this apart from the seasoning?
No, it's raw cast iron.
Is there any way to find out which oil was used to pre-season these pans? I'm allergic to peanuts so just making sure
Have you actually reacted to peanut oil? The oil extraction process filters out some of the proteins that affect allergies, so often there's no reaction to peanut oil. That's the case for me, at least.
Oh good point. I haven't tried straight peanut oil, I have reacted to peanuts before though. Worst comes to worst I could just strip the seasoning and re-season myself.
Peanut oil and ghost peppers
Another use for the Cast Iron Frypan is making Pizza Hut old style deep pan pizzas - very acceptable in the 80's .
Bought my cast iron grill today after going to two different stores. Brought it home and heated it up on the electric stove on high for about 5 to 6 mins and a loud pop followed by a crack from the side of handle to the center of the grill. Weird. Brought back and exchanged for a new one (only a couple left luckily) and new one didn't crack under heat. This better not crack when I'm cooking my steak. YMMV.
Picked up a grill and frypan yesterday, the so-called pre-seasoning was patchy and poorly applied.
I scrubbed them both with a scourer, dishwashing liquid and bicarb then heated to dry them out.
Applied a light coat of rice bran oil and placed in the oven at 300 degrees for an hour.
Reapplied the oil and put back in oven a total of four times, although after the first time it was difficult getting any oil to stick as it would just bead.
The surface now looks like semi gloss black paint and any liquids just bead and roll off, awesome.
Bought a huge 700g T-bone steak to cook tonight, I love thrifty German supermarketeers.
When you wash it after seasoning, are you supposed to use soap or how do you clean it?
Thanks,
did you let your pan cool down each time you put on oil or did you just put it on after ever hour?
@maybeamacy:
I let it cool in the oven , just warm enough to handle so when you apply the oil it is easier to rub in.
Takes a while but worth it.
I went around 12 on Sat, all gone. Bummer.
Any stores with stock left?
Not sure if you're in Melbourne, but Aldi Tarneit has about 10 of the grill and 3 frypan couple of hours ago.
I use one in the oven all the time.
They are the best for quiches/fritattas, grilling after the stove. Perfect one pan cooking.